Brock University modern art almanac: The Path of Possibilities

Modern art can be extremely confusing, but it can also be wondrously beautiful. Two challenges with modern art come from; A) figuring out if it is art at all, and B) then trying to figure out what the jumble of shapes and images all mean. It would not be the first time I’ve heard first-year students discuss how the “school should clean up the rubble on the field”, when referring to some incidental art. So if you would like to be able to chime in on the abstract beauty around Brock University, here is a guide to get you pondering what these messes of statues and sculptures might mean.

Many of the works found around Brock are part of the Lutz Teutloff collection. This collection has been growing since 1989, as Tuetloff himself donates the pieces to the University. All the works are, “by international acclaimed artists”. Although every piece is unique, Tuetloff said, (they) “symbolize the relationship between art, nature and science”.

The Path of Possibilities is the large sculpture placed at the main entrance of Brock is the cornerstone piece of the Teutloff collection. Donated to brock in 1988, the fantastic work was created by artist, Ilan Averbuch. The piece consists of gazelles and tigers crouching down towards each other, while resting on a platform of interlocking beams. It almost looks like an animal parody of Human Centipede.

As the core of the collection, its meaning is extremely relevant to every student that passes by. It was created and placed as a reminder of the many possibilities and options each student has in relation to their future. Even when a specific time looks bleak as a result of a pile up of essays, this statue can remind any depressed student that they are working towards a definite end.